New paths
The directions of the Programmatic Axes
Listen to the poem:
Continuity
I don’t just follow what has already been laid out,
I discover passages as I move forward;
What seemed like a closed boundary
Is revealed in the movement itself.
Where the forest seemed dense,
Life finds space for light;
On ground that seemed like rock
Openings emerge, guided by time.
There are moments when the soil calls for boldness,
When water flows around and reshapes the ground;
When the seed breaks through the day
Without knowing the extent of its expansion.
The world changes when someone decides
To take the first step beyond what’s known;
When the current alters what divides
And the new begins to be lived.
Forests renew themselves in silence,
Rivers find unlikely resting spaces.
Winds cross immense territories
Carrying possible futures.
What seems unknown today
Tomorrow becomes a steady path;
What begins as a restrained gesture
Takes shape, grows, and asserts itself.
Nothing remains immobile in life,
Everything pulses, everything is remade;
It is in the flow that the way out emerges,
It is in the advancing that direction is remade.
I continue because life demands continuity,
Each step opens space for the future;
What is built with consistency
Broadens the horizon of existence.
Understanding how Instituto Beja’s activities were structured in 2025 requires a brief review of the institution’s recent history.
In 2024, a new theory of change came into effect, structuring the Institute’s activities. It established as its central purpose the promotion of positive impact in the field of philanthropy through a set of strategies — such as fostering innovation, collaboration, and civil society engagement — combined with action on specific themes in order to contribute to the transformation of the field and maximize impact.
This theory of change proposed a structured approach based on three strategic pillars: Advocacy, Knowledge, and Laboratories.
After a year operating under this framework, the team conducted an in-depth review of the portfolio, the paths taken, and the support provided. This process revealed that the goal of intentionally and strategically influencing the philanthropy ecosystem was not being achieved to the extent originally expected.
The review also showed that, in certain contexts, strict adherence to the pillars ended up overlapping with the institution’s broader purpose, contributing to a dispersion of resources and energy. Based on this reflection, the team recognized the need to adjust the strategy, seeking greater coherence between mission, ways of operating, and desired impact.
Maria Vogt
Director of Strategic Partnerships and
Innovation and Member of the Executive Committee of Instituto Beja
Graciela Selaimen
Founder and Executive Director of Instituto Toriba,
Consultant and Member of the Executive Committee of Instituto Beja
Even amid these transformations, Beja’s advocacy DNA remains, alongside the strengthening of knowledge and the development of narratives – now shaped as action strategies, that is, defining the “how” of implementation. These strategies reflect medium- and long-term objectives and operate within priority thematic areas. In addition, the laboratories continue to aim at joint experimentation, focused on the development and support of multisectoral philanthropic projects, but are now also guided by themes.
The process of choosing themes
The Programmatic Axes of Infrastructure, Democracy, and Racial Justice, which now guide Instituto Beja’s work, had already emerged as priority themes when the organization was structured around strategic pillars.
The choice of these agendas is in line with both the Institute’s mission to positively influence the infrastructure of Brazilian philanthropy and the current context in Brazil and the world.
Currently, multiple challenges threaten the guarantees of a democratic state governed by the rule of law in different countries, amid the advance of anti-democratic and authoritarian movements, as well as the difficulty of promoting the necessary advances in the agendas of equity and racial justice, in a context in which racial discrimination and racism are still part of the daily life of the black population.
“This choice is very much an intentional response to the situation in the country and globally, in addition to the fact that there is an intersectionality between them. To move forward, Brazilian philanthropy must learn and have the courage to embrace these underrepresented
issues. We understand that this choice is also a way to create a new structure for philanthropy in Brazil and to act very pragmatically and
intentionally, even to the point of embarrassing other philanthropic organizations that are not yet doing this work. And in this mission to oxygenate philanthropy, you cannot say that it is important to invest in racial justice and democracy without doing so in your own portfolio. Beja says it is important and acts on it.”
Graciela Selaimen
Founder and Executive Director of Instituto Toriba,
Consultant and Member of the Executive Committee of Instituto Beja
“Beja was born in a lighter and looser way, without too much rigidity, which denotes an ability to change at the speed that current times demand. Philanthropy that responds poorly to this moment is that which is too rigid and slow to be able to respond to the urgencies that arise. And that is one of the reasons why we chose to work with Democracy and Racial Justice. These are the great challenges facing global society, which require precisely this ability to move quickly. In democracy, agendas change every six months. In racial justice, we have been spinning our wheels around the issue for a long time, without concrete results. This is a historic demand in Brazil, for which philanthropy is strategic, given its ability to strengthen structural agendas.”
Marcio Black
Program Director and Member of the Executive Committee of Instituto Beja
Inside each Axis
Maria Vogt
Director of Strategic Partnerships and
Innovation and Member of the Executive Committee
of Instituto Beja
By choosing to build a portfolio of partners based on criteria grounded in their performance in the three chosen Programmatic Axes, Instituto Beja emphasizes how much these causes are not isolated, but rather structuring vectors of social transformation, intersecting and feeding back into each other. Therefore, the organization builds a network that functions as an ecosystem of transformation and not as a sum of isolated, segmented, and hierarchical projects.
The mission of Instituto Beja is to positively influence the field of Brazilian philanthropy through intentional action on its infrastructure, promoting improvements and innovative
and creative ways of operating.
By choosing the infrastructure of philanthropy itself as its focus, Beja is committed to contributing to the improvement of practices and structural transformation in the field, with the long-term goal of making Brazilian philanthropy more diverse and globally recognized for its capacity for innovation and its commitment to social justice and democracy.
To achieve these objectives, Beja prioritizes investments and support for actions that have the potential for continuity and structural impact in the field of philanthropy and social justice, that encourage intersectoral cooperation and dialogue with other relevant initiatives in the field of philanthropy, and that consider ethnic, racial, gender, and social diversity as fundamental pillars for social transformation.
The cross-cutting use of certain strategies, such as advocacy, knowledge production, and narrative strengthening, ensures internal cohesion and mutual reinforcement between actions. In this way, Instituto Beja, in addition to being a financier, also acts as a facilitator in a field that needs to change.
To achieve this scenario of philanthropy, it is necessary to:
Consolidated strategies that allow for an increase in the volume of resources invested, ensure transparency, and foster cooperation between philanthropists, the public and private sectors, organizations, and social movements;
The creation of safe spaces for experimentation and testing of new philanthropic investment models involving multiple actors;
Offering knowledge and practices that are not currently part of Brazilian philanthropy;
Inclusion of underrepresented philanthropic actors in traditional spaces of Brazilian philanthropy.
[Brazilian overview – Infrastructure]
Only 1/3
Recent attacks on democratic institutions have highlighted the seriousness of the threats to the democratic rule of law in Brazil. For Instituto Beja, democracy is more than an institutional or political structure; it is a living, pluralistic, and inclusive space in which differences not only coexist but are fundamental.
The Institute believes that philanthropy should contribute not only financial resources, but also help enable and strengthen civic space as a terrain for encounters – one that embraces
the diversity of voices, interests, and perspectives and allows for the open, safe, and powerful expression of the demands and rights of individuals and communities, especially those
historically excluded.
Instituto Beja’s long-term vision: a pluralistic, resilient, and inclusive democracy, with civic spaces that guarantee the participation of diverse actors, will only be possible with:
- The expansion of Brazilian philanthropy’s investment in infrastructure and advocacy strategies;
- The strengthening of technical and political training for leaders and social organizations with programs focused on the development of critical skills in political advocacy and strategic communication;
- The consolidation of strategic partnerships between organizations committed to strengthening democracy;
- The expansion of production and dissemination of knowledge;
- The use of innovative approaches to financing initiatives aimed at defending and expanding democracy.
[Brazilian overview – Democracy]
About
Overall decline: A 4-point drop in the trust index.
For Instituto Beja, Racial Justice is more than an agenda, affirmative action, or programmatic axis: it is a structural and non-negotiable commitment that guides all of its actions and investments.
In a country with a deep history of violations of the rights of indigenous peoples, slavery, discrimination, and structural racism that are present in multiple spaces and relationships, it is essential to recognize that Black, mixed-race, and Indigenous communities have made important advances, thanks to the constant mobilization of social movements and organized civil society that continuously fight against these inequalities.
In this context, the strategic role of philanthropy is to address these issues on an ongoing basis, encouraging the country to consolidate the rights of these populations with strong public policies and broadly inclusive social practices, promoting racial equity and structural historical reparations.
Instituto Beja acts as a strategic partner to organizations on the front lines of these struggles, helping to strengthen their strategic actions and securing financial, technical, and political resources to support structural and lasting change.
For this to happen, a joint effort of different actions is necessary, including:
- Greater allocation of philanthropic and private resources to Black and Indigenous organizations committed to the racial justice agenda;
- Improving the technical and political capacities of social organizations and movements, especially in political advocacy and communication;
- Creation of strategic alliances between leaders, academic institutions, social movements, and civil society organizations dedicated to racial justice;
- Expansion of the production, dissemination, and strategic use of anti-racist data and knowledge, fueling public debates and influencing public policies;
- Ensuring continuous spaces for experimentation, innovation, and learning in anti-racist and reparative practices.
[Brazilian Overview – Racial Justice]
say that Brazil is a racist country.
of black people,
of brown people, and
of white people
say they have experienced racism
at some point in their lives.
The groups that most often claim to live with victims of racism are:
of black women;
of black men;
of people who have or live with someone with a disability;
of young people aged 16 to 24;
of people with a family income
of up to one minimum wage.
In 2024,
eight out of every ten
people killed by the police were black. Most of the victims were men (99.2%) and young people: the highest rates are among adolescents
aged 12 to 17
(2.3 per 100,000)
and young people
aged 18 to 24
(9,6 per 100,000).
Racial inequality is also evident among femicides:
of the women murdered in 2024 were black, mostly
between the ages of 18 and 44
The mission of Instituto Beja is to positively influence the field of Brazilian philanthropy through intentional action on its infrastructure, promoting improvements and innovative
and creative ways of operating.
By choosing the infrastructure of philanthropy itself as its focus, Beja is committed to contributing to the improvement of practices and structural transformation in the field, with the long-term goal of making Brazilian philanthropy more diverse and globally recognized for its capacity for innovation and its commitment to social justice and democracy.
To achieve these objectives, Beja prioritizes investments and support for actions that have the potential for continuity and structural impact in the field of philanthropy and social justice, that encourage intersectoral cooperation and dialogue with other relevant initiatives in the field of philanthropy, and that consider ethnic, racial, gender, and social diversity as fundamental pillars for social transformation.
The cross-cutting use of certain strategies, such as advocacy, knowledge production, and narrative strengthening, ensures internal cohesion and mutual reinforcement between actions. In this way, Instituto Beja, in addition to being a financier, also acts as a facilitator in a field that needs to change.
To achieve this scenario of philanthropy, it is necessary to:
Consolidated strategies that allow for an increase in the volume of resources invested, ensure transparency, and foster cooperation between philanthropists, the public and private sectors, organizations, and social movements;
The creation of safe spaces for experimentation and testing of new philanthropic investment models involving multiple actors;
Offering knowledge and practices that are not currently part of Brazilian philanthropy;
Inclusion of underrepresented philanthropic actors in traditional spaces of Brazilian philanthropy.
[Brazilian overview – Infrastructure]
Only 1/3
Recent attacks on democratic institutions have highlighted the seriousness of the threats to the democratic rule of law in Brazil. For Instituto Beja, democracy is more than an institutional or political structure; it is a living, pluralistic, and inclusive space in which differences not only coexist but are fundamental.
The Institute believes that philanthropy should contribute not only financial resources, but also help enable and strengthen civic space as a terrain for encounters – one that embraces
the diversity of voices, interests, and perspectives and allows for the open, safe, and powerful expression of the demands and rights of individuals and communities, especially those
historically excluded.
Instituto Beja’s long-term vision: a pluralistic, resilient, and inclusive democracy, with civic spaces that guarantee the participation of diverse actors, will only be possible with:
- The expansion of Brazilian philanthropy’s investment in infrastructure and advocacy strategies;
- The strengthening of technical and political training for leaders and social organizations with programs focused on the development of critical skills in political advocacy and strategic communication;
- The consolidation of strategic partnerships between organizations committed to strengthening democracy;
- The expansion of production and dissemination of knowledge;
- The use of innovative approaches to financing initiatives aimed at defending and expanding democracy.
[Brazilian overview – Democracy]
About
Overall decline: A 4-point drop in the trust index.
For Instituto Beja, Racial Justice is more than an agenda, affirmative action, or programmatic axis: it is a structural and non-negotiable commitment that guides all of its actions and investments.
In a country with a deep history of violations of the rights of indigenous peoples, slavery, discrimination, and structural racism that are present in multiple spaces and relationships, it is essential to recognize that Black, mixed-race, and Indigenous communities have made important advances, thanks to the constant mobilization of social movements and organized civil society that continuously fight against these inequalities.
In this context, the strategic role of philanthropy is to address these issues on an ongoing basis, encouraging the country to consolidate the rights of these populations with strong public policies and broadly inclusive social practices, promoting racial equity and structural historical reparations.
Instituto Beja acts as a strategic partner to organizations on the front lines of these struggles, helping to strengthen their strategic actions and securing financial, technical, and political resources to support structural and lasting change.
For this to happen, a joint effort of different actions is necessary, including:
- Greater allocation of philanthropic and private resources to Black and Indigenous organizations committed
to the racial justice agenda;
- Improving the technical and political capacities of social organizations and movements, especially in political
advocacy and communication;
- Creation of strategic alliances between leaders, academic institutions, social movements, and civil society
organizations dedicated to racial justice;
- Expansion of the production, dissemination, and strategic use of anti-racist data and knowledge, fueling public
debates and influencing public policies;
- Ensuring continuous spaces for experimentation, innovation, and learning in anti-racist and reparative practices.
[Brazilian Overview – Racial Justice]
say that Brazil is a racist country.
of black people,
of brown people, and
of white people
say they have experienced racism
at some point in their lives.
The groups that most often claim to live with victims of racism are:
of black women;
of black men;
of people who have or live with someone with a disability;
of young people aged 16 to 24;
of people with a family income
of up to one minimum wage.
In 2024,
eight out of every ten
people killed by the police were black. Most of the victims were men (99.2%) and young people: the highest rates are among adolescents
aged 12 to 17
(2.3 per 100,000)
and young people
aged 18 to 24
(9,6 per 100,000).
Racial inequality is also evident among femicides:
of the women murdered in 2024 were black, mostly
between the ages of 18 and 44
